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Has your gas cap ever burped at you? This is one of Mike Gooden’s favorite stories from his years of being a mechanic. He’s been your local Master Mechanic at the Londonderry, NH VIP Tires & Service location for over three years, having worked as a dealership mechanic before that.

What makes the burping gas cap story one of Mike’s favorites is that it takes into consideration what he loves most about auto mechanics – the challenge of problem solving. While the burping gas cap was temporarily fixed by another mechanic, the emission code kept occurring after each repair. By the forth time, the unresolved issue found its’ way to Mike who broke down the system and discovered the problem – one of the hoses was routing incorrectly and popping the gas cap – causing the burping noise. It was a satisfying moment to discover the issue and fix it for the customer.

Mike grew up fixing muscle cars and trucks with his dad – he remembers a ’72 Chevelle and a ’69 Camaro. At the time, it was bonding time with his dad. Mike now looks back and thinks, “Man! It was cool to have worked on those kinda cars!” As Mike’s son approaches 16, they are starting to plan their own father-son-bonding-car-repairing experience. Requirements of this fixer upper? Four tires and an engine. (His son has learned to fly a plane with CAPS Civil Air Patrol so he has no worries that his son can handle a car on the road.)

As your local VIP Master mechanic, it’s important to Mike that his customers trust him. Being honest, thorough and a good listener are important qualities for every mechanic – also, being at the top of your game. This means Mike is constantly self-studying and taking courses to make sure he’s up-to-date on the latest in auto mechanic news. “If you’re not on the top of your game, you’ll fall on your back quick,” he says. Many auto brands also offer evening study courses to learn about the specifics to their makes and models.

When the winter warms up and Mike’s not under a car, you can find him on the softball field. He’s played on some Rec and sponsored softball leagues in the past twelve years – one team has even won the championship the past two years!

Why you can trust Mike Gooden as your local auto mechanic:

Trust is the most crucial thing to Mike between himself and his customers. Chat with him, ask him questions about your car – get to know him. Mike knows that one bad experience is all it takes to lose a customer. With electrical and engine issues as Mike’s most passionate areas of auto repair, he’s happy to explain how these complex systems work so that you can understand the problem(s) at hand and know that he has your back when it comes to fixing it.